Sherman 9520801 Abstract Evolutionary theory suggests that behavior should be adjusted to maximize an individual s fitness. Species in which individuals switch between distinct behavior patterns offer an opportunity to test this hypothesis. This dissertation improvement research will contrast the alternative behaviors of territoriality and wandering in male water striders. This is a powerful model system because it is possible to watch single individuals over the course of repeated behavioral decisions. The research will determine why alternative behaviors are maintained in the population, and identify the factors that cue switches between behaviors. Behavioral observations of mating success and electrophoretic analyses of paternity will show how territoriality and wandering affect number of offspring. Experimental manipulation of social, individual, and environmental variables will be combined with behavioral observations to determine what causes behavioral switches. The research will increase understanding of the bases of behavioral decisions and the evolution of alternative behaviors.
